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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23394892">Candy Wrappers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/buffalowboy/pseuds/buffalowboy'>buffalowboy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Free!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Angst, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Lifeguards, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Summer Romance, but really slight i promise, but really tho lots of pining, but that's over really fast i promise, lowkey the parent trap but if it was gay, more tags will be added as we go, nagisa please shut up</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:26:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,054</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23394892</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/buffalowboy/pseuds/buffalowboy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He reaches for the pre-packaged mackerel on the shelf, still looking at his phone, only to grab something warm that doesn’t feel like the refrigerated fish at all. He looks up slowly, not realizing that he grabbed a hand.</p><p>The hand of a black haired boy with ocean-blue eyes.</p><p><i>Those</i> ocean-blue eyes.</p><p>Makoto’s face turns a shade of red that could rival the national flag.</p><p>OR</p><p>Makoto signed up for a mundane summer working at his aunt's summer camp in Iwatobi. He did not sign up to fall in love. Featuring mama Nao, lots of Nagisa screaming, and everyone acting like middle school kids with crushes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei, Kirishima Ikuya/Nii Satomi, Kirishima Natsuya/Serizawa Nao, Matsuoka Gou/Mikoshiba Momotarou, Matsuoka Rin/Yamazaki Sousuke, Mikoshiba Seijuurou/Yazaki Aki, Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto, Shigino Kisumi/Shiina Asahi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. You don't pick your friends, your friends pick you.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello everyone! this is my first fic so please be kind :) i made a playlist for this fic which you can find<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6WNuIYcfiy09HSphMRhQiRCWZAwxBG8I">here.</a> i'll be adding more songs as i write more. please enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun is almost gone. Makoto stands with his backpack slung over one shoulder and his duffel over the other as he watches the little taxi he’d been confined to for the last two hours shrink as it drives into the distance, disappearing behind the cloud of dust it kicks up as it speeds down the sandy road and weaves between the trees. He takes a deep breath and turns around, facing a small cabin. The wooden sign mounted above the entrance has “Camp Iwatobi” carved into it, with a strange looking bird in faded paint on either side. </p><p>This is the place where Makoto will spend the next few weeks trying to ignore the fact that everything at home in Tokyo was miserable. Being eighteen, Makoto feels like he should have more control over his life than he does and to regain that control he decided to spend the summer away from his parents while they figured out their divorce. He walks up the steps to the porch and barely gets a knock on the door when it swings open violently.</p><p>“He’s here!” A short blond looks up at Makoto through shaggy bangs, beaming widely. Makoto peers through the door and surveys the room. He finds his aunt Miho in the corner, typing furiously on a computer as another boy with indigo hair pushes buttons on the printer next to her as he adjusts his red glasses.“They just need to finish up the program for next week then we’re going to take you for some dinner,” the blond man explains. “My name’s Nagisa, by the way!” He steps aside to let Makoto through the door.</p><p>“Nice to meet you, I’m Makoto.” </p><p>“I know, Ama-chan told us all everything about you!” Nagisa’s declaration made Makoto blush, but Nagisa jumped in before he could think of anything to say. “That’s Rei-chan,” he says, pointing to the man at the printer. </p><p>“Don’t scare him, Nagisa,” Rei scolds as he picks up a stack of papers and places it on Miho’s desk. Miho takes the papers and flips through them before turning off her computer and standing up to face Makoto. </p><p>“It’s so good to see you!” Miho takes a proper look at him this time. “What have they been feeding you over there? You’ve grown so big!” Makoto laughs awkwardly, muttering something about the swim team at his school in Tokyo as Nagisa ushers everyone out the door and towards Miho’s car. “You’ll love this place, Mako-chan! It has all day breakfast, and not the kind where they lie and it’s only until 3pm!” Nagisa continues to chatter but his words are lost on Makoto, who watches the ocean through the window. Miho turns to him from the driver’s seat and offers gently, “I’m glad you decided to come, Mako.”</p><p>“Thank you for inviting me. I don’t think I would have been able to stay in Tokyo.” Makoto smiles at her. He feels a small pang of guilt for not taking Ren and Ran with him and instead letting them stay at their grandmother’s house, but with the amount of work he’s seen Miho being swamped with he doesn’t think she could handle two hyperactive eleven year olds. Miho pulls into the parking lot outside a neon-lit diner, and Nagisa explodes through the door so forcefully that Makoto is surprised it’s still on its hinges. </p><p>“Rin-chan! He’s here!” Nagisa runs behind the counter and throws himself at the waiter, who’s wearing an apron over his black V neck and black ripped jeans. Rin looks at Makoto and grins, revealing two rows of the sharpest teeth he’s ever seen. “Hey, I see you’ve met Nagisa. Don’t worry, you’ve already seen the worst.”</p><p>“Rin-chan is so mean!” Nagisa pouts, letting go of Rin and turning away in mock anger. </p><p>“Well he’s not <i>that</i> bad,” Makoto chuckles.</p><p>The bell in the door jingles and a group of girls tumbles in giggling. Two of them jump on stools by the counter, while the third slips behind the counter and throws ice cream and strawberries into a blender. Rin comes out from the kitchen and the girl kisses him on the cheek. Rin ruffles her hair. “How was your day, Gou?” He asks, setting glasses on the counter for her to pour the milkshake into.</p><p>“Good, me n’ Aki n’ Nii went to the beach and stuff.” Gou munches on a strawberry. Another jingle from the door and a tanned, dark haired man walks up behind Rin and wraps his arm around his waist. Apparently, there’s no such thing as a “staff only” area in Iwatobi.</p><p>“Why don’t you guys grab a seat over there?” Rin points to a booth by the window. The man lets go of Rin and extends a hand to Makoto.</p><p>“Sousuke Yamazaki,” he offers. Makoto takes his hand and smiles.</p><p>“Makoto Tachibana. It’s nice to meet you.” He was starting to wonder how many more people Nagisa was going to drag him around to meet. </p><p>“I’ll leave you boys here, I’m going to head off for the night.” Miho says, “I was thinking would be best if you stayed with the camp crew. I thought you might like to make some friends of your own age instead of being stuck with me for the next few weeks. Unless you’d rather come back with me?”</p><p>“No, not at all. I mean, it’s fine. I-I mean, not that I don’t want to spend time with you or anything but I think that’s a really great suggestion and I’d be happy to stay with them.” Makoto stammers, a bit shocked at Miho’s sudden suggestion.</p><p>“Don’t worry. You’re in good hands.” Miho turns towards the door when Rin calls out to her.</p><p>“Miho, I think you’re forgetting someone.” He points towards the kitchen, and Miho blushes.</p><p>“H-he’s busy right now! The dinner crowd just came in!” She turns swiftly on her heels and walks away flustered. Makoto looks at Rin for an explanation.</p><p>“She and Goro have been crushing on each other like middle school kids since before we were born. I don’t know why they don’t just get together already.” He shakes his head and slips into the booth next to Sousuke, sliding a menu across the table to Makoto. He watches as Makoto flips through its sticky pages, and the group places their orders. Rin stands up and disappears into the kitchen. </p><p>“So, Tokyo, huh?” Sousuke attempts to break the silence.</p><p>“Yeah, my aunt Miho runs a summer camp here so I decided to come and help out.” </p><p>“Mako-chan! Maybe you can work with Sou-chan at the beach!” Nagisa interrupts, “Sou-chan has the best job. He spends all day looking at hot shirtless guys. Well there are girls too, if you don’t swing that way!” </p><p>Makoto blushes hard and he doesn’t think he’s ever been more embarrassed in his life.</p><p>“So he likes guys then! Perfect job for you. Sou-chan, can he lifeguard?” Nagisa blinks up at him with puppy eyes and Sousuke sighs heavily. </p><p>“Are you a strong swimmer?” He asks.</p><p>“Um, I was on the team at my school in Tokyo. I also got lifeguard qualifications when I was teaching swimming lessons last summer so I should be okay.” Sousuke raises an eyebrow at that, but nods at Nagisa.</p><p>“I’ll have to talk to my boss Sei before I can say yes but-”</p><p>“Yay! Mako-chan’s got a job!” Nagisa cuts him off before he has the chance to finish his sentence.   For what seems like the billionth time today, Makoto takes a deep breath.</p><p> </p><p>-- </p><p>Miho’s little cabin smells like home. Like a place where Makoto can really feel like he belongs. Probably more like home than his real home in Tokyo. Miho leads him upstairs to a plainly furnished guest room with a window looking out towards the beach. “It’s not much but I hope it’s okay for you,” she flicks on the lights to reveal a bed pushed up against the green wall, and a small wooden closet. “The bathroom is over there, I’ll leave the hall lights on so you can find it.” She points down the hall and Makoto sets his bags on the floor, flopping down on the bed. Miho smiles at him. “Did Nagisa tire you out? I’ll leave you to get some rest then. Sleep well, Mako.”</p><p>“Night, Aunt Miho.” Makoto opens his phone to 20 new text notifications from the group chat Nagisa has added him to. He scrolls through the messages, not really paying attention to what they’re saying, and opens the group information to add his new friends to his contacts. As he looks through the group members, he notices one who Nagisa has yet to introduce him to. He taps on his name to open up his profile.</p><p>
  <i>Haruka Nanase</i>
</p><p>The boy has dark black hair which is plastered to his forehead, but what draws Makoto in the most are his eyes. They’re a deep shade of blue, and they shine the way the ocean does when the sun reflects off it. Despite the boy’s expressionless face, Makoto finds himself staring at his profile picture for a longer time than he would be willing to admit. Hell, he doesn’t even know the guy! Why is he staring at this picture so hard? Makoto rolls over, tossing his phone to the other side of the bed. He closes his eyes, and lets the majestic blue of the boy’s eyes wash over him like the ocean’s waves as he succumbs to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Seijuro is a tall, tanned man with spiky red hair which he slicks back, and the loudest laugh Makoto has ever heard. Really though, he laughs at everything and anything whether it was funny or not. It’s just after sunrise, and Makoto is standing on the porch of the reception where Miho’s office is again, this time with Sousuke and a small dark haired girl who looks like she would rather be <i>anywhere</i> but here. Seijuro has gone inside to ask Miho if it’s okay for Makoto to lifeguard at the beach. </p><p>“Nii, why don’t you introduce yourself?” Sousuke turns to the girl, who rolls her heavily lined eyes.</p><p>“You just did.”</p><p>“Okay then, Makoto, this is Satomi Nii but everyone just calls her Nii. She’s the biggest pain in the ass you’ll meet this summer.” Nii elbows him in the ribs, shooting Makoto a glare.</p><p>“Apart from Nagisa?” Makoto adds lightly.</p><p>“Apart from Nagisa,” Sousuke affirms as Seijuro walks out of the office with Miho and turns to Makoto.</p><p>“Congratulations! You got the job.” He grins widely as he grabs Makoto’s hand and shakes it. Makoto smiles nervously at Miho, who gives him an encouraging thumbs up. “Let’s head over to the beach right now!” Seijuro waves him over to a truck with so many dents Makoto wonders what kind of questionable side jobs Seijuro is doing. Nii doesn’t follow. Instead, she straddles a black motorbike as she pulls a matching helmet over her head. </p><p>Sousuke peers out the window of Seijuro’s truck at Nii. “Is it even legal for kids to zoom around on those things?” He asks, though as more of a statement than a question.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Nii flicks down her visor and revs the engine a few times, speeding off before Seijuro has even started up his truck. “She’s an ass but we love her.” He laughs. </p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Makoto is sweating hard. Partly because it’s a hundred degrees and there isn’t a cloud in the sky, but mainly because it’s <i>right there</i>. The ocean, big and deep, its violent waves crashing against the shore. Sousuke notices his silent distress and places a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?” Makoto nods, looking down at his feet as he pushes sand around with them nervously. </p><p>“Yeah, the ocean just scares me a bit sometimes.” Makoto expects Sousuke to reprimand him for taking up a job that revolves around working near and in the ocean, but instead he looks out at the waves and sighs. “Me too.” He says knowingly, sitting down in the sand and patting the place next to him, inviting Makoto to sit. Makoto abides, pulling his legs to his chest and tucking his chin into his knees. “A year ago I tore my rotator cuff during a rescue. In the end, we both turned out fine but it’s the feeling of helplessness that sticks with you after.” Sousuke hesitates, “I almost didn’t get to him. I still don’t know how I did, but I guess it’s different when you’re thinking about it and when you have to actually do things. I mean, something just kicks in and you kind of just go for it, you know?” </p><p>Makoto nods. “Yeah, I know that feeling. My little brother fell into the ocean when I was fifteen. He could barely swim and my sister was screaming for me to help him but I froze up.” He stops, remembering the fear in Ran’s voice as she tugged on his shirt, tears running down her cheeks.</p><p>“You don’t have to keep going if you don’t want to.” Sousuke offers reassuringly.</p><p>“I think I’m okay.” Makoto smiles weakly before continuing, “my dad went in to rescue him in the end. I just feel so guilty that I didn’t do anything about it, and I guess I’m a bit scared that I’ll freeze up again but this time it’ll cost a lot more.”</p><p>“If you don’t feel comfortable working here you don’t have to. Nagisa was a bit pushy. I can give Miho a call and get you transferred to the camp instead if you want.” </p><p>“No!” Makoto exclaims, before clamping a hand over his mouth, embarrassed by the sudden outburst. “I mean, I think I want to try. I can do it.”</p><p>“Sei and I will be there to help you if there’s anything you need. You can also ask Nii if you want, but I think you’ve seen that she’s not the most approachable.” Sousuke chuckles, before standing up and offering Makoto his hand to pull him up. “We’re all a team here, we help each other out.” </p><p>Makoto takes his hand and smiles warmly, happy that his new colleague, no, friend was so welcoming. “Thanks, Sousuke.”</p><p>“Now let’s head over to the hut before Sei sends out a search party.”</p><p>“A search party?”<br/>
“He’s done it before. I have a poor sense of direction.” Makoto raises an eyebrow, but Sousuke shuts him down before he has the chance to speak. “Don’t ask.” Makoto laughs, and follows him towards the white and red hut planted in the middle of the beach. He wonders how someone could get lost on the beach and miss such a conspicuously decorated installation. The windows are wide open, letting the sea breeze flow through the room as Nii sits in a corner with her feet kicked up on a table and headphones on, gazing out the window. Seijuro is shuffling through the mess on the table frantically. </p><p>“Is everything okay? Can I help?” Makoto asks.</p><p>“Yeah, the beach is gonna get crowded in about twenty minutes and I can’t find my whistle. I think I left it here yesterday…” Seijuro searches through piles of scrambled papers and takeout boxes to find it.</p><p>“I took three days off to visit my family and when I come back it looks like someone gave Nagisa a cup of pure sugar then let him run around in here.”</p><p>“You put it in here before we locked up yesterday.” Nii slips her headphones down around her neck and pulls open a desk drawer, revealing Seijuro’s orange whistle decorated with a starfish sticker.</p><p>“You could have mentioned that <i>before</i> he made an even bigger mess in here.” </p><p>“Nah, it’s pretty fun watching Sei look for things he’ll never find.” Nii smirks. Makoto makes a mental note to <i>never</i> get on the girl’s bad side. She pulls out another whistle and tosses it to Makoto. “This is for you.” Seijuro holds out a sticker sheet filled with sea creatures.</p><p>“Welcome to the team. Pick one for your whistle.” Makoto scans the sheet before a little dolphin catches his eye. He peels the sticker off, and places it on his whistle carefully, rubbing his finger over it to ensure it’s stuck properly.</p><p>“I tried to tell him we didn’t need these stupid kids’ stickers, but he insisted on marking our whistles since Nii’s saliva conscious.” Sousuke grumbles.</p><p>“I’m not saliva conscious, I’m just conscious of <i>your</i> saliva. I know where that mouth’s been.” Nii makes a face at him.</p><p>“It’s been <i>nowhere</i>. Shut up.”</p><p>“You think I don’t know about you and Rin? I might be younger than you but I’m not fucking oblivious.”</p><p>“T-There’s nothing going on between us!” Sousuke blushes.</p><p>“Hey hey, play nice kids. It’s Makoto’s first day and we don’t want to scare him away.” Sei steps between them and pats them both on the head, smiling at Makoto. Makoto smiles back awkwardly. “Now let’s give you a tour. There’s some stuff I want you to know before the people flood in.”</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>It turns out that working with the lifeguarding team is a lot more difficult than Makoto expected. He didn’t have to rescue anyone or do anything serious, but most of his tasks for the day involved a great deal of energy and patience. Makoto is known to be a very patient person who is very good with kids, but by the end of the day he’s starting to feel like his resolve might be broken. Half an hour into his first day, he had to break up a fight between two boys on the beach volleyball court. He comforted a little girl who lost her sandcastle to the rising tide, and helped too many lost children find their parents. It felt more like babysitting than lifeguarding.</p><p>“Great work today! I’m glad it didn’t completely break you.” Seijuro pats him on the back as Makoto packs up his things and gets ready to leave. “Do you need a ride home?” He offers.</p><p>“That would be really nice, thanks.” </p><p>As Seijuro drives, Makoto remembers that Miho asked him to buy fish for dinner. “Do you think you can drop me at the supermarket? I need to pick something up but I can walk home from there.”</p><p>“No problem, kiddo.”</p><p>When they reach the supermarket, Makoto thanks Seijuro for the ride. “See you tomorrow,” he waves as Seijuro drives away. Iwatobi’s supermarket is a lot smaller than the big ones Makoto usually shops at in Tokyo, but this is good, because it means Makoto will be able to find his groceries and go home to relax faster. It’s been a long day, and there’s nothing he would appreciate more than a long bath. Standing in front of the fish, he pulls out his phone to text Miho.</p><p><b>&gt;mako:</b> hey, what kind of fish should i get?</p><p><b>&gt;Miho:</b> Anything is fine! I like salmon and mackerel the best.</p><p><b>&gt;mako:</b> i’ll get mackerel then.</p><p>He reaches for the pre-packaged mackerel on the shelf, still looking at his phone, only to grab something warm that doesn’t feel like the refrigerated fish at all. He looks up slowly, not realizing that he grabbed a hand.</p><p>The hand of a black haired boy with ocean-blue eyes.</p><p><i>Those</i> ocean-blue eyes.</p><p>Makoto’s face turns a shade of red that could rival the national flag. “I-I-I’m so sorry! I d-didn’t see you I-”</p><p>“It’s fine.” The boy cuts him off, tearing his gaze away from Makoto’s emerald eyes. He looks even more stunning than in his profile photo, and if Makoto is right, just a little bit flustered.</p><p>“I-I don’t mean to come off as creepy or anything, but are you Haruka?”</p><p>“Well that’s definitely something you would ask someone you’re not trying to creep out.” Haruka deadpans, “but really, how do you know my name?” He narrows his eyes, pulling his hand to his chest.</p><p>“You’re on that group chat Nagisa added me to. I’m Makoto.” He smiles, hoping he hasn’t scared Haruka away.</p><p>“Oh.” The word spills from Haruka’s mouth emotionlessly. Makoto takes two packs of mackerel from the shelf and hands one to Haruka.  “Do you live nearby? We can walk back together when we’re done here.” He offers.</p><p>“Way to not creep me out.” Haruka says, with just a hint of humor in his voice. “That sounds good, though. I live next door to Miho.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Strange things are happening.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Hi Makoto! I was just finishing up with the tie-dyeing activity. Do you want to come by and make a shirt?”</p><p>“He’s eighteen, not eight, Aki.” Sousuke says.</p><p>“You’re never too old to tie-dye!”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>and here we meet more characters.</p><p>for the amount of free time i have on my hands rn with the quarantine, it took me an embarrassingly long time to actually finish this chapter, but here it is. enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Haruka Nanase has never been the type of person who approaches others first. Not because he’s shy, but because he’s never really felt a need to. Haruka’s never met anyone who he wanted to befriend so much that he went out of his way to do so, which is why he feels very weird about Makoto Tachibana. Haruka feels drawn to him. He wants to talk to Makoto more, to get to know him better. </p><p>Haruka’s never been much of a talker. So that’s weird.</p><p>He walks along the sidewalk with Makoto in silence, gazing out at the ocean. It’s not an uncomfortable silence, more of a silence that exists because they seem to communicate without words. They stop in front of Miho’s cabin, and Makoto turns to face him. “I’m here, you’re nearby right?”</p><p>“Yeah, over there.” Haruka points at an apartment block just down the street.</p><p>“Oh, cool. So, uh, I guess I’ll see you around?”</p><p>“There’s actually a staff party happening on Friday night. For people at the camp and beach and stuff. I don’t usually go to those things but I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?” Haruka looks just as shocked as Makoto as they both register what he said. He doesn’t think this many words have ever come out of his mouth in one go.</p><p>“Ah, I um, I-I-"</p><p>Haruka blinks. Makoto is cute when he’s flustered.</p><p>“I-I would love to go! It sounds really fun.” Makoto finally manages to force the words out.</p><p>“It’s at eight at Mermaid’s Point. You know the diner back there near the supermarket?” </p><p>“Yup. See you on Friday?” Haruka nods. “Bye then, Haruka.”</p><p>“Haru is fine.” He says, and continues down the road towards his apartment. Makoto blushes hard.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>“Makoto, why don’t you take a half day off? Sousuke can take you down to see the camp. It’s not very crowded right now, so Nii and I can handle the beach by ourselves.” Seijuro suggests. </p><p>“I mean, I’m supposed to be working right now though, right?”</p><p>“Well I’m your boss and I’m telling you to go visit the camp.”</p><p><i>I can’t really argue with that</i> Makoto thinks, as Sousuke hands Makoto his backpack and shoes. Maybe he’ll run into Haru. </p><p>“Sei, you can’t just hand out days off like it’s candy on Halloween.” Nii mutters.</p><p>“I’m your boss, I can do whatever I want.”</p><p>“Don’t get high on your power trip,” Nii turns back to her phone, and continues to text. Makoto follows Sousuke down the road towards the lush forest, where several cabins sit decorated with bright flags and colorful deck chairs.</p><p>“I texted Aki who works here, and she should be here soon. She’ll do a better job at showing you around than I can.” Makoto looks around. It’s a small camp, with only seven cabins scattered around the grounds. There’s a pole with little signs nailed to it, each one hand painted with symbols for different areas — a fork and spoon for the dining hall, a kayak for the lake, a flame for the campfire pit, and more. The top of the pole has that strange bird painted on it. As he scans the campground, a mop of orange waves catches his eye.</p><p>“Hey! Sou!” A girl in a dark blue T-shirt featuring the same strange bird Makoto saw on the sign, slightly taller than Nii, comes running towards them.</p><p>“Hey, Aki.” Sousuke says, “this is Makoto.” Aki beams at Makoto, pulling her thick copper hair up into a ponytail. </p><p>“Hi Makoto! I was just finishing up with tie-dyeing. Do you wanna come by and make a shirt?”</p><p>“He’s eighteen, not eight, Aki.” Sousuke says.</p><p>“You’re never too old to tie-dye!”</p><p>"Sure, that sounds fun.” Makoto laughs softly, following Aki behind the cabins to a clearing with picnic tables arranged in rows. Makoto spots Rin’s sister, who he met yesterday. She’s sitting with a boy who looks a lot like Seijuro and talks as loudly as him, while a girl with a sandy colored bun and a boy with silver hair listen to him, wide-eyed. The kids are all holding T-shirts, their hands stained green, blue, and red as they pass around bottles of dye. Aki hands him a shirt and a few bottles. “Go wild.” She grins, watching Makoto laugh as Sousuke rolls his eyes at the childish activity. When Makoto finishes, Aki leads him to a line of rope tied to two trees, where several T-shirts hang, dyeing the ground below as they drip a mess of colors. “Hang yours here, and write your name on this tape to label it.” She hands him a small piece and a marker, and Makoto takes it and prints his name neatly. </p><p>Aki waves to a man with messy brown hair who’s drawing on a loose sheet of paper several tables away and yells over at him, “Natsuya! Makoto is here so I’m going to show him around.” Natsuya throws her a thumbs up before turning back to his sketch. “Okay! Let me show you the rest of the camp.” Aki takes his hand and Sousuke follows closely behind. </p><p>The first place she takes them to is the dining hall, which sits on the lake just behind the clearing where the tie-dye activity was. From the deck, which has several benches and lawn chairs, there’s a clear view of Lake Iwatobi. Makoto gazes out, remembering the summers he spent with his parents splashing in its cool water. It almost makes him feel a little…</p><p>Sad?</p><p>Makoto squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head. He’s not here to be sad. He’s supposed to be here making friends and having a good time, not thinking about moments that he’ll never relive. That he’ll never be able to take back.</p><p>“Makoto! Come over here and see inside.” Aki waves him over to where she’s standing with Sousuke, holding the door of the dining hall open. Makoto walks through the doorway, almost having to duck so he doesn’t hit his head. It’s just a little shorter than he remembers it. The inside smells comforting and woody (of course it smells woody, Makoto tells himself, it’s <i>literally</i> made out of wood). The walls are littered with mismatched photo frames, each one looking like it was decorated by several people with different artistic intentions. As he examines the photos held within the frames, Makoto notices a familiar flash of wild orange curls. “Is this you?” He turns to Aki, pointing at the photo.</p><p>“Yes it is!” Aki beams.</p><p>“And you’ll never guess who this is.” Sousuke points to a light haired girl, slightly shorter than Aki, standing shyly behind her as she grips her hand. Makoto furrows his brow, looking closer at the photo. She looks delicate, almost like a fairy.</p><p>“Have I met her?”</p><p>“You were talking to her less than half an hour ago.”</p><p>“NII??” Makoto’s jaw drops as Aki bursts into laughter. “Nii is blonde?” Makoto does a double take at the picture, making sure he’s looking at the right face. He is. </p><p>“She dyes her hair black. And she wears so much eyeliner she’s almost unrecognizable without it,” Sousuke chuckles.</p><p>“Nii didn’t like her hair — she thought it made her look too soft. But we love her no matter what color her hair is,” Aki smiles. “Don’t tell her you saw that photo, though. Or anyone. She’ll make sure you don’t live to reveal that secret.”</p><p>Makoto swallows nervously.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Sousuke needs to sit down. He and Makoto have been following Aki around the camp, watching her bounce from place to place explaining all of her favorite activities as excitably as the teens she runs them for. Sousuke wishes he could love his job like that. Not that he doesn’t love lifeguarding, it’s just that it can be stressful. Especially after <i>the incident</i>. Sousuke tries his best not to think about it while he’s working, in case it sends him into a flurry of panic about failing a rescue. He’s never <i>actually</i> failed — he’s just scared he will. </p><p>Because he almost did once. </p><p>Sousuke forces himself to focus on what Aki’s saying, dragging his attention back to the tour.</p><p>“And this is where the staff stays. Or at least, those of us who are on duty. And those of us who don’t have loud sex.” Sousuke watches Makoto’s face turn as red as a beet and bites back a laugh. “Yeah, you heard me,” Aki warns, “Natsuya and Nao <i>used</i> to stay here, but they’ve been banned from night duty because you-know-why.”</p><p>“You’re lucky you haven’t gotten yourself kicked out yet.” Sousuke throws Aki a shit-eating grin.</p><p>“Of course I haven’t!”</p><p>“Well you tend to be awfully loud sometimes.”</p><p>“How would you know?”</p><p>“How the fuck do you <i>think</i> I know?” Aki thinks for a bit, but doesn’t respond. “You and Sei need to pick places that <i>aren’t</i> the lifeguard hut.”</p><p>Realization hits Aki. “It’s not my fault! It was late and Sei thought everyone was gone!” Aki throws her hands in the air and glares at Sousuke, who’s too worn down from Aki’s extended tour to continue arguing. He still needs to sit down, but he’s not going to be the first one to admit that. He looks at Makoto, who hasn’t shown the slightest sign of fatigue for the last hour, during which Aki has dragged them to every corner of the camp. Sousuke doesn’t even remember there being this many things to see. It’s a goddamn <i>campground</i>, how many things can there possibly be that are interesting enough to show people or even discuss?</p><p>“Um, I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s getting a bit late and we should head back to the beach.” Makoto interjects timidly. </p><p>“Of course! Don’t worry about it, I need to get back to help Natsuya with dinner duty. He’s too soft on the kids and lets them have too much sugar before bed.” Aki smiles warmly, and walks Makoto and Sousuke to the entrance before rushing back to the dining hall. Sousuke is too tired to make conversation as they head back.</p><p>“That was fun,” Makoto tries to break the silence.</p><p>“It can be, but the camp isn’t really my thing.”</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>“Well, I guess I don’t really like kids that much. They can be irritating.”</p><p>“Most of them at the camp are like fourteen or fifteen anyway so they’re older,” Makoto pauses and thinks for a second. “I like kids. I have a younger sister and brother — they’re twins. I guess maybe having siblings makes you like kids more.”</p><p>“I mean, I like Rin’s sister,” Sousuke offers.</p><p>“Gou?”</p><p>“She insists we call her Kou. She says Gou sounds too boyish.”</p><p>“I’ll remember that,” Makoto smiles. Sousuke falls quiet again, but this time the silence feels different. Makoto waits for him to say something, but he starts walking faster.</p><p>“Sousuke? Is something wrong?” Sousuke says nothing for what feels like a very long time, before he takes a deep breath.</p><p>“I think we’re lost.”</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Makoto and Sousuke make it back to the hut just after it gets dark, following almost half an hour of Sousuke insisting he knows where he’s going and knocking Makoto’s phone out of his hands every time he pulls it out of his pocket to call Seijuro. Eventually, he gives in and they call Seijuro, who comes to pick them up in his dented truck. </p><p>“How the hell did you get lost coming back from the camp? It’s not even that far away.” Seijuro grumbles, eyes focused on the road as he drives.</p><p>“I don’t really know this area well enough yet…” Makoto mutters apologetically.</p><p>“Not you, you’re fine. Him.” He points to Sousuke, who’s seated in the backseat scowling. </p><p>“The road just looks different when it’s dark.”</p><p>“It wasn’t even dark! And you even walked there! How did you forget the way?”</p><p>“I told you, it just looks different!” Sousuke grumbles, slouching in his seat like a child being lectured. Makoto tries to change the subject quickly.</p><p>“Are you guys going to the staff party on Friday?”</p><p>“Oh, right! I was supposed to tell you about that. It’s at Mermaid’s Point and I think it starts at, uh…” Seijuro racks his brain for the time, but Makoto jumps in before he can remember it.</p><p>“Eight.” </p><p>“Ah! Did Sousuke already tell you?”</p><p>“I didn’t.”</p><p>“I, um, I actually met a guy at the supermarket who told me about it.” Makoto blushes. This is going to be a <i>very</i> awkward story.</p><p>“I thought it wasn’t open to the public, just to the beach and camp staff.”</p><p>“Actually, he works at the camp. He invited me.”</p><p>“Ooh, does little Mako have a crush?” Seijuro reaches over to the passenger seat and ruffles his hair. Makoto blushes.</p><p>“I-it’s not like that! I just met him and he lives nearby and-”</p><p>“Will you tell us who it is?” Sousuke pipes in.</p><p>“NO!” Makoto exclaims just a little too loudly, his face going red for probably the billionth time today.</p><p>“Okay, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see who this mystery boy is~” Seijuro hums, turning his attention back to the road, leaving Makoto mortified.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Friday crawls around way too slowly for Makoto’s liking. By closing time, Makoto is already itching to see Haru again. They had exchanged numbers after the supermarket, but Makoto was too bashful to text first. Haru wasn’t the type to initiate a conversation, so the two hadn’t talked since that night. </p><p>Seijuro offers to give him, Nii, and Sousuke a ride to the party, since it’s already seven thirty when they pack up. Makoto climbs into the backseat while Nii and Sousuke argue over who gets shotgun. Makoto finally decides to shoot Haru a text.</p><p><b>&gt;mako:</b> hey! i just finished work. see you at 8?</p><p>Haru responds almost immediately.</p><p><b>&gt;Haru:</b> Yeah. See you.</p><p><b>&gt;mako:</b> yay!</p><p>Makoto chuckles as he stares at the text. Even the way he texts feels so… Haru.</p><p>“You texting your little lover back there?” Seijuro glances at Makoto in the rearview mirror, and Makoto quickly tucks his phone away, flustered. Seijuro laughs heartily, and Nii smacks him in the back of the head. “Eyes on the road, dipshit.” Seijuro laughs at that too, which earns him a glare from Nii. Despite being barely fifteen minutes long, it feels like the longest drive of Makoto’s life. When they arrive at Mermaid’s Point several minutes before eight, Makoto can barely contain his excitement as he scrambles out of Seijuro’s truck into the parking lot.</p><p>“Woah, calm down there. Am I really that bad of a driver?” Seijuro throws an arm around Makoto.</p><p>“N-no! I didn’t mean to-”</p><p>“I was kidding! Relax. I know you’re excited to see your cute little crush. I am too! I wonder what he looks like…” Makoto manages to slip away as Seijuro spots Aki waving to him, and turns his attention to her. The bell on the door jingles as Makoto pushes it, and Rin looks up from the trays of food he’s organizing on a long table. </p><p>“Hi, Rin.”</p><p>“Hey,” Rin greets him, pulling foil tightly over the last tray. “You’re early.” Makoto glances around. True to Rin’s observation, the only ones in the diner are the beach crew and Aki. <i>Haru will be here in a bit</i>, Makoto reassures himself. He can’t help but worry a bit that he’s being stood up. Haru wouldn’t do that, right? <i>It’s no big deal if he doesn’t come,</i> he thinks, <i>I shouldn’t be this hung up about a guy I barely know!</i> Gou seems to notice his internal conflict, and tugs on his sleeve.</p><p>“Nii-chan says you like Haru-chan. I can help you!” She smiles at him brightly through her messy bangs.</p><p>“Gou! You’re not supposed to tell him I said that!” Rin yells from the kitchen.</p><p>“H-how do you know!?” Makoto stumbles, trying to piece the puzzle together. Did everyone know? </p><p>“Haru and I are best friends so he talks to me about everything, and Sousuke mentioned you meeting a guy in the supermarket. It matched up with Haru’s story so we put two and two together.”</p><p>"And how does Gou know?”</p><p>“She overheard us,” Rin said, before turning to glare at Gou. “She was <i>supposed</i> to be in bed,” he growls, and Gou grins cheekily at him. </p><p>“I’m fifteen, I shouldn’t have a bedtime.” Rin just smiles and ruffles her hair, before turning to Makoto again.</p><p>“If you need any help, you can ask me. Haru can be kind of a cryptic guy.” Makoto nods in agreement. “He’s here right now, you wanna say hi?”</p><p>Makoto’s heart skips a beat and his face lights up. <i>See, he was here already. You didn’t need to worry.</i> “Sure.” Makoto follows Rin behind the counter and through the doorway to the kitchen, with Gou on his heels. He wonders why they’re going into the kitchen — what’s Haru doing in there? It doesn’t take him long before he notices the familiar raven haired boy, dressed in an apron matching Rin’s. </p><p>“H-haru?” He asks, shocked to see him decorating a cake with the careful precision of a brain surgeon. </p><p>“Oh,” he looks up briefly, before returning to his cake. “Hi, Makoto.”</p><p>“Why are you so surprised?” Rin asks, “I told you he was here. It’s not like he snuck up on you.”</p><p>"I just… I didn’t expect him to be making a cake.”</p><p>“That’s literally his job,” Rin states, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.</p><p>“I thought he worked at the camp!” Makoto says defensively.</p><p>“Why the hell would you think that? Haru never smiles and it makes kids really scared. It’s creepy.”</p><p>“I’m right here,” Haru deadpans.</p><p> </p><p>- -</p><p> </p><p>The staff party is… wilder than Makoto expected. When someone says “staff party”, Makoto usually envisions a small gathering of people over a beer or two while making quiet small talk. This is the exact opposite. A crowd of others arrives after Makoto and his group, including Nagisa and Rei, a pink haired flirt named Kisumi, and Natsuya from the summer camp and his boyfriend. Two hours and <i>too many</i> shots of vodka into the night, and Nagisa is standing on a table singing loudly and out of tune. Rin and Sousuke are tipsy, and arguing over the latest season of <i>The Bachelorette</i>. Makoto’s been standing around awkwardly, not really wanting these people he’s barely known for a week see him drunk. He’s an emotional drunk and he knows that. He just hopes these people will never know that. </p><p>Haru hasn’t left his side once throughout the night. Makoto is worried that he’s being a bore, so he asks Haru if he would rather do something else, but the boy replies with a simple, “I’m enjoying myself.” Makoto is just a <i>little</i> worried that Haru isn’t <i>really</i> enjoying himself, but Haru doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would lie about that. He also seems like the kind of person who would quietly see himself out if he felt like something was a waste of time. The two talk about their days, and the kinds of tasks they’ve done in their jobs during the week. When Makoto mentions that he works near the ocean, Haru’s eyes light up. “I should come by and say hi,” he suggests.</p><p>“You don’t have to.”</p><p>“No, I want to. I like the ocean.” Before Makoto can reply, the sound of someone clearing their throat washes over the room through the speakers attached to the ceiling above a small platform in the corner. A very drunk Kisumi stands on the platform adjusting a mic stand. “Excuse me everyone,” he waves as the loud laughter and conversation dies down into hushed murmurs. “It’s that time again, the one you’ve all been waiting for!” Makoto looks at him, confused, but everyone else seems to know what’s going on. “Where’s Asahi?” Kisumi man puts his hand above his eyes as he scans the room dramatically.</p><p>“I found him!” Nagisa squeals, pushing forward a man with red hair sticking out in every direction. Makoto assumes that’s Asahi.</p><p>“Kisumi I-” Asahi starts, but he’s cut off by Kisumi pressing a kiss to his lips.</p><p>“Come on~ Just one song for me? It won’t hurt.” He whines, throwing his arms around the redhead. </p><p>“That’s what you say <i>every</i> Friday, then I end up playing a whole set,” Asahi protests as Kisumi hands him a guitar, which looks like it has already been set up. Asahi takes it hesitantly.</p><p>“Asahi! Asahi!” Nagisa starts to chant, the rest of the small crowd joining him as Asahi looks down at his feet. Kisumi places one more gentle kiss on his cheek before hopping off the platform to join Nagisa. </p><p>“Well… you know the drill guys,” Asahi mumbles into the mic. “Like always, this is a song I wrote. And, uh, I hope you enjoy.” His fingers move to the neck of the guitar, and the first notes of the song ring out. </p><p>Kisumi and Nagisa cheer loudly, and all the attention in the room is focused on Asahi as he glides through the melodies and chords. All the attention except for Makoto’s.</p><p>Because Asahi has a nice voice, but Haru has a nicer face. </p><p>And Makoto can’t take his eyes off Haru.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>the sourin is coming. i promise.</p><p>pro tip whenever i feel like i don't wanna write this fic anymore i listen to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drFbSfxNDFE">ever blue</a> and then everything is better you're welcome. please leave a kudos if you liked this!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Can you feel the love tonight?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p><b>&gt;nagisaaa:</b> i can see what’s happening</p>
<p><b>&gt;~kisumi~:</b> what?</p>
<p><b>&gt;nagisaaa:</b> and they don’t have a clue</p>
<p><b>&gt;~kisumi~:</b> who?</p>
<p><b>&gt;asahi shiina:</b> THEY’LL FALL IN LOVE AND HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>did i really just write a bunch of texts so i could drop the lion king? yes.</p>
<p>also if you give me good suggestions i will incorporate them i promise.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On Saturday, Makoto and Haru seem to be the only people on the group chat who aren’t complaining about a skull-splitting hangover.</p>
<p><b>&gt;nagisaaa:</b> [video attachment] i think someone got a little wild last night (&gt;ω^)</p>
<p><b>&gt;aki &lt;3:</b> delete that!!!!!</p>
<p><b>&gt;NII:</b> I’m never having a drinking contest with Sei again.</p>
<p><b>&gt;Seijuro:</b> im a 170 pound grown man and ur a small girl who did u think was gonna win lol</p>
<p><b>&gt;NII:</b> Sei I’ll cut you</p>
<p><b>&gt;~kisumi~:</b> don’t be so mean to her! she’s just a little girl~</p>
<p><b>&gt;NII:</b> When I don’t constantly feel like I’m going to vomit out my actual stomach you’re dead too, Shigino</p>
<p><b>&gt;NII:</b> Watch your back.</p>
<p>Makoto laughs as he scrolls through the texts. Most of them are just pictures from Nagisa of everyone doing stupid things. He stops when he sees a photo of him and Haru sitting in one of the diner’s booths, away from the chaos of the party.</p>
<p><b>&gt;nagisaaa:</b> [photo attachment] looks like someone’s getting some action </p>
<p><b>&gt;aki &lt;3:</b> ooooooo</p>
<p><b>&gt;Rin M:</b> can you guys shut up im trying to sleep</p>
<p><b>&gt;Seijuro:</b> its already 1pm rise n shine sleeping beauty</p>
<p><b>&gt;Rin M:</b> no <br/><b>&gt;Rin M:</b> stfu <br/><b>&gt;Rin M:</b> im tired</p>
<p><b>&gt;nagisaaa:</b> too busy with sou-chan to sleep last night? (･ω&lt;)☆</p>
<p><b>&gt;Rin M:</b> NO</p>
<p><b>&gt;~kisumi~:</b> uwaah it looks like makoto and haru-chan are really hitting it off~</p>
<p><b>&gt;Haru:</b> Drop the “-chan”.</p>
<p><b>&gt;~kisumi~:</b> awww haru don’t be like that T^T</p>
<p>Makoto puts his phone down and turns back to his pasta on the stove. Miho has gone out for lunch with her friends, so Makoto has been left at home for a quiet Saturday afternoon with the TV and Miho’s cat. He tips the pot over, emptying its contents onto a plate. As he sits down to eat it, his phone lights up with a notification.</p>
<p><b>&gt;aki &lt;3:</b> <span class="u">@mako</span> i see that photo explain yourself young man</p>
<p>Flustered, he types a hurried reply.</p>
<p><b>&gt;mako:</b> it’s not like that!!!</p>
<p><b>&gt;Rin M:</b> then what is it like</p>
<p><b>&gt;nagisaaa:</b> i can see what’s happening</p>
<p><b>&gt;~kisumi~:</b> what?</p>
<p><b>&gt;nagisaaa:</b> and they don’t have a clue</p>
<p><b>~kisumi~:</b> who?</p>
<p><b>&gt;asahi shiina:</b> THEY’LL FALL IN LOVE AND HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE</p>
<p><b>&gt;Haru:</b> Guys fuck off</p>
<p>Makoto chuckles at Haru’s response. <i>I bet he looks cute when he’s flustered.</i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Makoto’s quiet Saturday ends when Nagisa calls him to invite him out for a movie. “It’s the annual opening night of the drive-in theater like three blocks from the camp. They’re only open for the summer. Everyone’s coming!” Nagisa pauses as if he’s waiting for a reply. Makoto racks his brain for something to say. There’s no point telling Nagisa yes or no, because he knew from the minute he picked up the phone that he was going whether he wanted to or not. Nagisa wouldn’t let him sit at home.</p>
<p>“Haru-chan’s gonna come.”</p>
<p>Makoto’s face lights up. “Okay, what time does it start?”</p>
<p>“Usually at like eight or nine after it gets dark but we like to meet there at six thirty-ish to reserve spots. We bring dinner and stuff and hang out first,” Nagisa continues. “Oh! And they’re screening <i>The Parent Trap</i> tonight. It’s like a tradition. The first screening of the season is always <i>The Parent Trap</i>!”</p>
<p>“That’s fitting,” Makoto laughs. “Alright, I’ll come. Is Haru coming?”</p>
<p>“I haven’t asked him yet. I hoping you could help me~” Nagisa singsongs. Makoto is about to ask him why he didn’t just text the group chat, but he catches on to what Nagisa is doing. He plays along.</p>
<p>“Sure, I’ll ask.” Nagisa thanks him happily and hangs up, leaving Makoto on the couch with Miho’s cat on his lap. He picks her up gently and places her on the cushion next to him, making sure to close all the windows before he grabs his phone and keys, locking the door behind him as he steps outside. Miho’s cabin sits along the side of the beach, so he can smell the sea breeze from the porch. Makoto walks over to the apartment complex where Haru said he lived the other night. He scans over the rows of mailboxes to find one with “Nanase” engraved next to the apartment number #04-02. When he takes the elevator upstairs and locates the apartment, opposite the elevator lobby, he finds that “Nanase” is printed in neat script on a wooden name plate shaped like a dolphin. <i>How cute,</i> Makoto thinks, reaching up to ring the doorbell. No response. He rings a few more times, wondering where Haru might have gone. He said he was part of the weekday staff, which meant that he probably wasn’t working right now. He might have gone to the supermarket.</p>
<p>“Haru?” He yells through the door. Still no response. Makoto sighs and gives up — he’ll come back later. As he stands in the lobby waiting for the elevator to take him back to the ground floor, he hears a door open slowly.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t locked. You could’ve just come in.” Standing in the doorway of #04-02, next to the dolphin name plate is Haru. In a swimsuit. <i>Just</i> a swimsuit. He has a towel draped around his neck, catching the drips of water from his damp hair, but it doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Makoto’s seen lots of attractive men before, and he’s used to seeing men in swim trunks, but he’s never seen anyone like Haru. Because <i>holy mother of Jesus</i>, Haru’s body looks like it was crafted by the gods themselves. And the water rolling off his muscles doesn’t make this any easier on Makoto’s dick.</p>
<p>“I-I-I’m sorry, I just, I-I-I-” Makoto covers his face with his hands, hoping Haru won’t be able to see his embarrassment.</p>
<p>“How did you find out where I live?” Haru raises an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“Y-your name was on the mailbox downstairs.” Makoto mutters from behind his fingers.</p>
<p>“Yeah, definitely not giving me stalker vibes,” Haru says, with just a hint of humor in his voice.</p>
<p>“I’m so sorry, I’ll just leave now, I-I didn’t mean to interrupt you, I-”</p>
<p>“It’s fine, I was just finishing with my bath. Do you want to come in?” Haru steps to the side, making room in the doorway for Makoto to walk through. </p>
<p>“O-oh, I don’t want to intrude, I just came by to ask you if you wanted to come to a movie tonight. Nagisa said you guys watch <i>The Parent Trap</i> at the drive-in theater every year? It’s tonight and I… I was wondering if you would go. With me.”</p>
<p>“Like on a date?” Haru asks, though as more of a statement without the slightest sliver of any emotion. Makoto stands in shock with his mouth half open. He didn’t expect Haru to be so… forward?</p>
<p>“I-I mean, you don’t have to, it doesn’t have to be, I mean, uh, I guess if you want it to be?” Makoto says hopefully. He could die of embarrassment.</p>
<p>“I’d like that.” Makoto internally breathes huge a sigh of relief. At least he didn’t embarrass himself badly enough for Haru to not even give him a chance. “So… see you tonight?” Haruka asks.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’ll borrow my aunt’s car so we can drive there. Um… Can I pick you up at six? Nagisa said we’re going to eat dinner there.”</p>
<p>“Okay. Six.” Haru repeats. “Thanks for inviting me.”</p>
<p>“A-ah, it’s no biggie.” Makoto turns to face the elevator as Haru shuts the door, his heart pounding violently in his chest as if it was trying to break past his ribcage and spill out on to the floor. Makoto checks the time.</p>
<p>Only three hours and fifty-six minutes left.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The alarm clock next to his bed reads 5:31 PM when Makoto steps out of the steaming bathroom after a shower. He wraps his towel around his waist and sits down on his bed, grabbing his phone to check his texts.</p>
<p><b>&gt;nagisaaa:</b> everyone!!! i’m getting dinner right now! is pizza okay??</p>
<p><b>&gt;aki &lt;3:</b> yes please nagisa ily</p>
<p><b>&gt;Haru:</b> Can you get mackerel on it?</p>
<p><b>&gt;NII:</b> Is that even an actual pizza topping?</p>
<p><b>&gt;~kisumi~:</b> that’s a really strange choice haru-chan~</p>
<p><b>&gt;Sei:</b> i’m pretty sure they make it tho</p>
<p><b>&gt;Rei Ryuugazaki:</b> They don’t, we just checked.<br/><b>&gt;Rei Ryuugazaki:</b> Sorry, Haruka.</p>
<p><b>&gt;asahi shiina:</b> HE SPEAKS<br/><b>&gt;asahi shiina:</b> I DON’T THINK REI’S EVER SENT A MESSAGE TO THIS CHAT<br/><b>&gt;asahi shiina:</b> IT’S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE</p>
<p><b>&gt;Sousuke:</b> it’s also the middle of summer</p>
<p>Makoto glazes over the rest of the chaotic stream of texts and swipes on Nagisa’s message to reply.</p>
<p><b>&gt;mako:</b> pizza sounds good, thank you nagisa!</p>
<p>Nagisa replies instantly with a sticker of a cartoon cat holding a heart. Makoto lies on his bed, counting down the minutes to when he can finally see Haru. At 5:45 PM, he springs up and pulls on one of his nicer t-shirts. Miho was planning on staying in, so Makoto has the car to himself. He pulls out of the driveway at 5:51 PM, and glances over at Haru’s apartment complex to see the smaller boy standing idly next to the parking lot. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Makoto says, through the rolled down window of the car.</p>
<p>“You’re early.” Haru slips into the car. </p>
<p>“O-oh. Yeah, I guess I was just a bit excited.” Makoto blushes, rubbing the back of his neck.</p>
<p>“Me too.” Haru mumbles under his breath. But Makoto catches his words and holds them, his heart fluttering. They sit through the rest of the short ride in a comfortable silence, with Haru gazing out the window at the sun setting over the ocean. When they arrive, they’re greeted by Nagisa throwing his arms around Makoto.</p>
<p>“Mako-chan! Haru-chan!”</p>
<p>“Hi, Nagisa,” Makoto laughs, hugging the blond back.</p>
<p>“Drop the -chan.” Haru glares daggers at Nagisa.</p>
<p>“Aw, why? It suits you so well~” Nagisa whines.</p>
<p>“He’s right, it’s cute! Haru-chan~” Makoto sings, much to Haru’s embarrassment.</p>
<p>“Guys, get over here! The pizza’s getting cold!” Seijuro waves at them from a picnic blanket, holding up a box. Aki sits on his lap, eating her own slice happily as she chats with Nii. Rin and Sousuke are arguing over the last can of grape soda, which they eventually decide to settle with a game of rock-paper-scissors.</p>
<p>“That’s not fair! You cheated!” Rin pouts.</p>
<p>“Did not.” Sousuke turns away from him in mock anger as he pops the can open and takes a sip, before offering it to Rin. He takes it and punches Sousuke lightly. Makoto and Haru take a seat next to Sousuke, who passes a box of pizza to them. As they each pull out a slice, a blue car pulls in next to Sei’s truck. Natsuya and a silver haired man step out, followed by a younger boy with dark eyes hidden behind green hair. The boy scowls as Natsuya says something to him.</p>
<p>“Hi guys! I hope you don’t mind that I brought Ikuya,” Natsuya waves.</p>
<p>“I mind,” Ikuya grumbles. </p>
<p>“Well, you can’t just sit in the house all day.”</p>
<p>“Why not?”</p>
<p>“It’s not good for you. You need to get some fresh air. Plus, it’s summer! The weather is so great!” Natsuya ruffles Ikuya’s hair, and the boy quickly reaches up to swat his hand away and smooth his hair back into place. Ikuya rolls his eyes and leans against the car, refusing Seijuro’s invitation to sit with them and eat.</p>
<p>“Ikuya, if you don’t eat now you’re gonna be hungry later.” The silver-haired man calls out to him gently.</p>
<p>“Nao, just let him be. He’ll get hungry and come eventually.” Natsuya ushers him over to the picnic blanket on the grass as Nao shrugs. Makoto turns to Haru, who’s staring into the distance absently as he eats his pizza.</p>
<p>“Is this everyone? It’s a big group,” he laughs.</p>
<p>“Kisumi and Asahi are usually late because Kisumi spends way too long in the shower and they end up getting here just before the movie starts. So they’re coming,” Haru says, as they watch Nagisa impersonate their other friends.</p>
<p>“And now, this is my impression of Rei-chan!” He announces, straightening his back and clearing his throat. “I’m Rei,” he says in a robotic voice, adjusting a pair of imaginary glasses. “I like order and rules. Itineraries and schedules give me a massive boner.” Seijuro roars with laughter and Rei flushes red.</p>
<p>“I don’t sound like that!” Rei protests, while Nagisa bursts into a fit of giggles. Makoto laughs along. Except this time, it’s a genuine laugh which he hasn’t heard come out of his mouth for a long time. He had friends back in Tokyo, but none of them made him laugh or feel like this. </p>
<p>For once, he’s really, truly happy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Eat this.” A girl in a cropped Nirvana t-shirt holds out a box containing two slices of pizza. Ikuya stares at her silently. “What about an ‘oh, thanks!’” She says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.</p>
<p>“Not hungry,” Ikuya mumbles, looking down at his black converse as he twists his feet around on the grass.</p>
<p>“Like hell you aren’t. Stop throwing a tantrum and just eat it.” Ikuya looks at her before hesitantly taking a slice. “I’m Nii.”</p>
<p>“Ikuya.”</p>
<p>“<i>You’re</i> Natsuya’s brother?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I know. We look nothing alike.”</p>
<p>“I can actually see the resemblance, but you act nothing alike.”</p>
<p>“Oh?” Ikuya raises his eyebrows.</p>
<p>“Well for starters, you’re not the same level of idiot shithead that Natsuya is,” Nii scoffs. Ikuya grins. This girl might be the only one of Natsuya’s friends he’ll actually get along with.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When the movie starts, most of the group crams back into their own cars. Nagisa and Rei stay on the picnic blanket since they walked, and Ikuya refuses to go back to Natsuya’s car.</p>
<p>“He’s gonna make out with his boyfriend and that’s <i>not</i> something I’m interested in seeing again.”</p>
<p>“Again?” Nii’s jaw drops.</p>
<p>“Yeah, please don’t remind me. I don’t need that image in my head.” Ikuya covers his eyes dramatically as Nii laughs. Makoto’s never seen her laugh before. Kisumi sticks his head out the window of Asahi’s car and waves to Ikuya.</p>
<p>“Use a condom! Practice safe sex!” He yells as Ikuya flips him off. Natsuya throws his brother a thumbs up for the car, earning another glare. The idle chatter dies down as the projector flicks to life, casting a bright display on the screen set up at the front of the field. </p>
<p>“Sou,” Rin mutters quietly. Sousuke hums in response. “I’ve never seen you date anyone before.” Sousuke chokes.</p>
<p>“W-why do you care?” His response comes out as much more defensive than he intended. </p>
<p>“Because I’m your friend!” Rin cries, offended.</p>
<p>“Well, uh… I guess I’ve just never found anyone who I’m interested in.” That’s a lie and Sousuke knows it. He’s been in love with his best friend since they were in middle school, but he can never bring himself to tell him. Because what if Rin doesn’t feel the same way? What if Sousuke’s feelings ruin their friendship? Sousuke knows that he would much rather stay this way than confess and risk losing Rin. </p>
<p>Rin, on the other hand, has dated countless men and women. He’s so pretty it’s unfair, so he can have virtually anyone he wants. Why would he choose Sousuke? He sighs, turning back to the movie. He hasn’t really been paying attention, but Rin always is. They’ve seen this movie every summer since they were going to camp together as kids. It’s not exactly supposed to be a tear jerker, but Rin cries every time Nick proposes. <i>”It’s just so sweet!”</i> he’ll babble, trying justify his sobbing. </p>
<p>Their lives were very heavily influenced by watching <i>The Parent Trap</i> every year. When they were twelve, Sousuke woke up in the middle of Lake Iwatobi on the air mattress he was sleeping over on, with Rin and Gou rolling on the ground giggling at the shore. When they were sixteen, Rin convinced Sousuke to pierce his ear <i>The Parent Trap</i>-style, with a sewing needle and an apple. Of course, Rin cried over the pain, but he refused to take the earring out despite complaining about it every day for the rest of the summer. They’re now eighteen, and Rin is sitting in the passenger’s seat of Sousuke’s car, piercing and all. The annual screening of <i>The Parent Trap</i> jogs so many good memories which they shared, which is why Sousuke agrees to come see it every year even though he’s seen it so many times he can recite all of Lindsay Lohan’s lines. </p>
<p>But things don’t stay the same forever. They can’t. Sousuke wishes they could, but his feelings for Rin only grow the longer he tries to bury them. He reaches around to toy with Rin’s short ponytail, and Rin leans into the touch. He slips his arm around Rin. They’ve done this before — it’s nothing new or romantic. <i>It doesn’t mean anything</i> he tells himself, <i>Rin doesn’t feel that way about you</i>.</p>
<p>But Sousuke wishes he did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I hate this part,” Haru says. Makoto’s not even sure if he understands what’s happening. It’s not exactly a very difficult movie to follow, but Makoto hasn’t been paying <i>any</i> attention since Haru placed his hand over Makoto’s, running his fingers along his palm every few minutes. </p>
<p>“Why?” Makoto asks, returning his attention to the screen.</p>
<p>“Because,” Haru begins, as if the answer is obvious, “it’s stupid. Who <i>doesn’t</i> want to wake up surrounded by water? I would.” A woman’s enraged screams spill out through the radio of Miho’s car as she flails around on an air mattress floating in the middle of a lake, and falls into the water. Wait — how did she get there? Makoto really needs to pay more attention to the movie. </p>
<p>“Most people would probably be confused about how they got there,” Makoto offers.</p>
<p>“Mm,”</p>
<p>“You’re strange,” Makoto chuckles, squeezing Haru’s hand. Haru squeezes back. Several more minutes of the movie speed past Makoto, who’s still not registering a single line the characters deliver. He turns to Haru, who looks equally as unfocused. </p>
<p>“Haru,” he says, just slightly louder than a whisper.</p>
<p>“Yeah?”</p>
<p>“Haru-chan~”</p>
<p>“What do you want,” Haru deadpans.</p>
<p>“Nothing, I just like your name.” Makoto smiles warmly, and Haruka just mutters a quick “oh” before turning away.</p>
<p>“I like <i>you</i>, Haruka.” Haru rarely shows any emotion, but he finds his face heating up as he stumbles over a response.</p>
<p>“I-I like you too, Makoto.” Neither of them is paying attention to the movie anymore. Haru already knows how it ends, anyway. He can just fill Makoto in later. Still holding Haru’s hand, Makoto uses his other arm to pull Haru in closer. He’s looking straight into those sapphire eyes now, losing himself in them as they close the gap between their bodies. </p>
<p>Haru tastes sweet. His lips are softer than Makoto could have ever imagined, and he kisses with a forceful passion that Makoto never expected from the usually stoic boy. Makoto runs his fingers along Haru’s side, outlining the dip of his waist and the curve of his hip. Haru moans into Makoto’s mouth at the touch, and Makoto doesn’t think he’s ever heard such a sweet sound. Makoto could do this forever.</p>
<p>Well, he could if they weren’t interrupted by an insistent tapping on the window of Miho’s car.</p>
<p>“Show’s over, lovebirds. It ended like ten minutes ago. We were waiting for you guys to finish but it didn’t really look like you were anywhere near stopping.” Natsuya bends down to meet Makoto’s embarrassed face. “Anyway, we’re going to get ice cream. Are you guys coming?”</p>
<p>“Mmm, at least someone got some action tonight,” Nagisa says as he walks past them.</p>
<p>“Nagisa, that’s none of your business!” Rei scolds him.</p>
<p>“What? We all knew Mako-chan had the hots for Haru-chan! It was just a matter of time!”</p>
<p>Makoto is mortified. Haru, on the other hand, seems relatively unfazed by the interruption. He opens the door and climbs out of the car, walking over to the other side to open Makoto’s door. Haru holds out his hand.</p>
<p>“Let’s go.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i just really love the parent trap, okay?</p>
<p>this was a slightly long chapter than what i usually post, but i had so many things (and ships) i wanted to fit in!!</p>
<p>a note on name plates: it's really common in japan to have name plates on the front of your house since the organization of streets is stupid and you might have the same address as your neighbor. I didn't want makoto to have to go up and down the apartment complex looking for haru's name plate, so i decided to use a mailbox system. i'm not sure how common this is, but at my uncle's place the system is like that (they have names on a central mailbox place and then names in front of their doors as well)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Sousuke Yamazaki's internal (and very gay) conflict.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Oh, and counselors attend the dance,” Kisumi has a devilish look in his eyes and Makoto is scared about where this is going. “Bring a date, okay?”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>it's ~backstory time~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The summer following Toraichi Matsuoka’s disappearance, Sousuke took Rin on a fishing trip. Well, there wasn’t much fishing involved. Rin sat in the boat and cried, while Sousuke wrapped his arms around the pink-haired boy and said nothing, giving him as long as he needed. Toraichi used to take Rin out on summer weekends to fish. Right around when they began middle school, Toraichi’s boat was lost at sea and neither he nor the boat were ever found. The thought that he could still be out there haunted Rin, and Sousuke slept over almost every night to hold Rin until he stopped crying and fell asleep.</p>
<p>Platonically, of course. They were never like <i>that</i>. Like lovers. He didn’t Rin felt that way about him, and Sousuke never pushed the matter.</p>
<p>Shortly after Toraichi’s disappearance, Rin’s mom moved to the city to work a job that paid more than teaching at the elementary school in Iwatobi, leaving fourteen-year-old Rin in charge of Gou and their house. She was back on the weekends, but wasn’t able to stay with them through the week. Sousuke wasn’t about to let his best friend take care of his sister alone. Especially when the guy was basically helpless when it came to cooking. Rin and Gou ate dinner with Sousuke’s family every day, and during holidays Sousuke pretty much lived at Rin’s house. Now that Gou is finally old enough to stay overnight at Camp Iwatobi, Sousuke and Rin can stay up as late as they want watching TV without Gou trudging out of her room sleepily and demanding that she gets to watch as well. Now, Sousuke has a different battle. He sits on the end of the couch, holding the remote in the air out of Rin’s reach. </p>
<p>“We just watched a movie at the drive-in. We should just go to bed already.”</p>
<p>“Sou! It’s the season finale of <i>The Bachelorette</i>! You have to let me watch it,” he begs</p>
<p>“No. It’s boring and you don’t learn anything.” Sousuke leans back as Rin reaches for the remote, pulling it further away from him. His favorite kind of TV shows are historical programs, especially war documentaries. It’s much more interesting to learn </p>
<p>“<i>You’re</i> boring. You’re not <i>supposed</i> to learn things when you’re watching TV, that’s the point.” Rin finally manages to snatch the remote from Sousuke after straddling his hips and leaning into him, pressing their torsos together. The distraction throws Sousuke off, and he lets his guard down for a second, after which Rin plants himself happily back on his original seat with the remote.</p>
<p>“That’s gonna rot your brain.”</p>
<p>“Fuck off,” Rin smacks him playfully, turning back to the TV. After what just happened, Sousuke doesn’t mind at all what they watch. He can’t pay attention to it anyway. All he can think about is how warm Rin’s gorgeous, toned body felt pressed up against him. The way he stuck his tongue out over his lips as he reached for the remote. The feeling of Rin’s thighs against his own.</p>
<p>God dammit, he has it bad.</p>
<p>Every few minutes, Rin will turn to him to complain about something. Sousuke hasn’t registered a single thing, though. All he can process is how badly he wants to press his own lips against Rin’s soft pink ones. How badly he wants to push Rin down and claim him for himself. Sousuke smacks himself mentally, and stands up abruptly. What kind of shitty guy thought about his own <i>best friend</i> like that?</p>
<p>“You good?” Rin looks up at him.</p>
<p>“Yeah, uh, bathroom.” He takes off quickly before Rin can ask anything else. Once he’s locked inside, he runs the tap and splashes his face with cold water. <i>Snap out of it, Sousuke. You’re better than this.</i> He stares at himself in the mirror until he loses track of time. </p>
<p>A soft knock on the door interrupts his trance. When he doesn’t respond, Rin calls out to him gently. “Sousuke? Is everything okay?” For a few seconds, Sousuke doesn’t respond. Then, he unlocks the bathroom door slowly and steps out. </p>
<p>“I think we should go to bed.”</p>
<p>Rin stares blankly for a moment, surprised by the suggestion. “…Okay, I’ll get the air mattress out.”</p>
<p>“Actually, I’ll just sleep out here.” Rin looks at him like he’s delusional.</p>
<p>“That couch is old and disgusting and you know it.”</p>
<p>“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”</p>
<p>Rin pauses, before his surprise melts into a look of concern. “Is this about that night when I went out in my dad’s kayak because-”</p>
<p>“It’s not,” Sousuke cuts him off before he can apologize more. It wasn’t Rin’s fault, and he’s done enough apologizing. “I just want to sleep out here.”</p>
<p>Rin looks hurt. <i>It’s for the best,</i> Sousuke thinks, <i>I can’t let Rin find out how I really feel.</i></p>
<p>“Suit yourself, I’ll leave the air mattress out anyway in case you change your mind.” Sousuke breathes a sigh of relief as Rin shrugs and turns down the hall, disappearing into his bedroom.</p>
<p>Still, a part of him wishes he could tell Rin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When he walks into Miho’s cabin after saying goodnight to Haru, Makoto is undeniably hard. It’s well past 11 PM, and Miho is already in bed, so Makoto locks the door quietly and slips into the bathroom to use the shower. </p>
<p><b>&gt;mako:</b> thank you for coming out with me :) i had fun!</p>
<p><b>&gt;Haru:</b> Thanks for inviting me. I had fun too.</p>
<p><b>&gt;mako:</b> let’s we do this again sometime?</p>
<p><b>&gt;Haru:</b> Yeah.</p>
<p>Makoto stands in the shower with his eyes closed, remembering the few moments where Haru’s lips met his and he felt complete. Kissing Haru was everything he imagined and more.</p>
<p>And he’s rock hard from it. “I’m pathetic,” Makoto groans, pawing his erection as he bites his lip. He comes to the thought of Haru’s soft moans, replaying the kiss over and over as he comes down from the high of his orgasm. </p>
<p>Then the realization of what he’s just done hits him like a freight train.</p>
<p>Fuck.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Sousuke wakes up in the morning, he immediately regrets not listening to Rin. His back aches <i>so</i> badly from the awkward lumps on Rin’s couch, which he’s pretty sure is older than both of them. He groans as he rolls off the couch and stumbles towards the kitchen to make coffee, but Rin has beat him to it.</p>
<p>“I told you the couch was rough.” He holds out a cup of coffee, black, just how Sousuke likes it. In his other hand, he holds his own mug which contains a sugary monstrosity decorated with whipped cream. </p>
<p>“Shut up.”</p>
<p>“You should listen to me more.”</p>
<p>“No I shouldn’t.”<br/>“I’m always right, though~” Rin skips to the dishwasher to load his mug after he gulps down the last of his coffee. <i>You’re fucking cute, that’s what you are,</i> Sousuke thinks. He’s interrupted by his phone, which buzzes loudly in his pocket. He looks at the contact name displayed at the top of the screen: <i>Makoto Tachibana</i>. Is this about work? He presses the answer button and holds the phone to his ear as Rin watches, concerned.</p>
<p>“Sousuke, I’m freaking out.”</p>
<p>“Well good morning to you too.”</p>
<p>“Seriously, I need help.”</p>
<p>“Okay, what is it?” He hears Makoto taking a long, deep breath on the other end of the line.</p>
<p>“I think I’m in love. Like for real.”</p>
<p>“Makoto, if this is about Nanase, you need to calm down. You’ve only know him for a week and I don’t think-”</p>
<p>“No, hear me out,” Makoto cuts him off. “I really have it bad for him. I kissed him last night and it was <i>amazing</i>. I got off <i>thinking about him in the shower</i>.”</p>
<p>“Jesus, I don’t need to know that.” Sousuke groans, pressing his fingers to his temple. </p>
<p>“I just… I don’t know what to do. I like him a lot and I don’t want to mess this up.” Sousuke doesn’t reply. Instead, he glances at Rin, who raises his eyebrows. “Um… Are you still there?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I am. I don’t know Nanase very well since we don’t get too along great, but I know someone you can talk to instead.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rin’s house is a small beach cabin, similar to Miho’s, but it looks slightly older and it’s located a fair distance away. Makoto debates taking the car, but he figures the weather is nice and he should walk there instead. Twenty minutes later, he finds himself standing on Rin’s porch ringing the doorbell. There’s a small wooden name plate below the doorbell that’s shaped like a shark.</p>
<p>“Your name plate looks a lot like Haru’s,” Makoto comments.</p>
<p>“That’s cuz he made them. Are you gonna come in or are you gonna stand there all day?” Rin holds the door open for Makoto, ushering him inside.</p>
<p>“Thanks for having me over.” He says as Rin grabs some mugs from the cabinet.</p>
<p>“I’m glad to help, in a way you’re actually doing Haru a favor too.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“Haru’s kind of lonely. His parents work in the city like my mom, but he doesn’t have any siblings or many close friends so he spends most of his time by himself.”</p>
<p>“Oh. I had a feeling he kind of preferred it that way.”</p>
<p>“Well, in a way he does. But everyone gets a bit lonely sometimes and even people who hate people still need friends.” Rin says, in a bout of newfound wisdom. “So what exactly did you want to ask me?” Makoto freezes.</p>
<p>“Ah, um, yeah. I uh… Haru and I kind of kissed last night.”</p>
<p>“You <i>what</i>?” Rin almost spits out the tea he’s drinking.</p>
<p>“We kissed and… I don’t know what to do now.” Makoto buries his face in his hands and groans.</p>
<p>“I am <i>so</i> offended that he didn’t tell me this first.”</p>
<p>“Uh, sorry?”</p>
<p>“Okay well it’s, uh, rare that Haru ever <i>wants</i> to kiss anyone.” Rin stares at him wide-eyed, still recovering from the shock. “So you’re asking me where to go from here?”</p>
<p>Makoto nods expectantly.</p>
<p>“Yeah, so… I don’t know either.” Rin winces. “Haru’s never been interested in anything like this. He doesn’t really like to talk about it either so I think we all just assumed he was ace.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” Now Makoto’s beginning to regret kissing Haru. What if he didn’t actually enjoy it? They drove home last night in their usual silence, with Haru staring out the window, and Makoto hadn’t noticed anything strange in Haru’s behavior. Well, anything strange that Haru wouldn’t <i>normally</i> do.</p>
<p>“But he really likes you. For real.” Makoto breathes a sigh of relief. “He’s just shy. He talked to me about it — I’m not going to tell you what he said since I’m the <i>greatest</i> best friend and I keep secrets better than <i>anyone</i> — but he likes you a lot.” Rin pats his back reassuringly.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Rin.” The two boys are quiet for a minute, but Makoto breaks the silence with another question.</p>
<p>“So, do <i>you</i> have anyone you’re interested in?”</p>
<p>This time, Rin actually spits out his tea.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Nanase.” Sousuke narrows his eyes, glaring at the poor excuse for a human being standing in front of him. Sometimes, he wonders if Nanase is a creature that crawled out of some creepy crevice at the bottom of the sea, and is posing as a human for entertainment. That would explain his weird (bordering on sexual) attraction to the ocean. The boy raises his eyebrows, barely acknowledging Sousuke as he sets his glass down on the bar and sits on the neighboring stool.</p>
<p>Sousuke wants to be acknowledged, dammit. Not because he needs Nanase’s approval, of course not. He just wants Nanase to know that he’s <i>better</i> than him. That he’s a better friend for Rin. </p>
<p>The reason Sousuke was sitting in Mermaid’s Point at 3:43 PM on a Sunday afternoon was Rin kicking him out of the house to have Makoto over. He didn’t want Sousuke’s “brick-headed oblivion” to “throw off his vibes” while he played love guru for Makoto. So Sousuke begrudgingly left the house, heading to the last place he thought he would see his least favorite person. </p>
<p>But now, here he is. Sitting at the bar of the diner while Nanase stares into the liquid in his glass as if he’s awaiting a response from it. </p>
<p>“Who the hell comes into work on their day off?” He throws the question at the smaller boy, who doesn’t look up from his glass.</p>
<p>“I’m not working.”</p>
<p>“I can see that.” Sousuke huffs. “Why did you come here?”“Am I not allowed to?” Sousuke <i>finally</i>meets Nanase’s blue eyes with his own teal ones when he looks up to glare back at the taller boy.</p>
<p>So this is a <i>staring contest</i> now. Huh.</p>
<p>“I was just bored.” Sousuke watches as Nanase breaks their eye contact, looking at his drink and taking a sip. “So, why are you here? And where’s Rin?” It’s no secret that Sousuke and Rin are practically joined at the hip. Rin was born just a few months after him, and their mothers were best friends in college so they spent their entire lives together. Sousuke knew Rin better than anyone, and he was Rin’s closest friend.</p>
<p>That is, until Nanase happened.</p>
<p>In typical Nanase fashion, he showed up at the most <i>convenient</i> (Sousuke uses the word very loosely) moment — just after Rin’s dad went missing when they began middle school. Sousuke should have known that eventually, Rin would need more than just him. He could never be enough for Rin. So, Nanase became another shoulder for Rin to cry on. The two of them quickly bonded over their love of the ocean. Toraichi spent most of his time out on the water, and Rin joined him often for fishing trips. Rin ended up spending a lot of time with Nanase, going to the beach and pool together during the summers when Sousuke would normally complain about the heat spend more time indoors. When they were sixteen, they even started working together at Mermaid’s Point.</p>
<p>So naturally, Sousuke did <i>not</i> appreciate Nanase’s sudden intrusion in his and Rin’s perfectly happy lives.</p>
<p>After a long silence, Sousuke finally answers the smaller boy’s question. “Rin kicked me out of the house. He wanted some time to talk to Makoto.” The little ocean gremlin raises his eyebrows. “Before you ask, Rin’s not interested.”</p>
<p>“And you would know because…”</p>
<p>“Because I just know things. That you don’t.” Sousuke crosses his arms and huffs as he turns away. </p>
<p>“Yeah, right.” Sousuke looks over again to see Nanase roll his eyes — he actually has the audacity to <i>roll his eyes</i> at Sousuke. If he wasn’t already pissed off at this boy for being at his workplace on a Sunday, he’s pissed off now.</p>
<p>“Okay, then what do you know that I don’t?” A flash of something appears in Nanase’s eyes, momentarily, but Sousuke swears he saw something. Nanase seems to be debating whether he should tell Sousuke or not. Before he can open his mouth, the bell on the door jingles violently as a bubblegum nightmare bursts into the diner. </p>
<p>“Sou-chan! Haru-chan! I’m so happy to see you~” Kisumi pulls both boys in for a much resisted hug. As Sousuke looks across the bar again, he notices visible annoyance in Nanase’s expression.</p>
<p>Sousuke supposes there may be <i>one</i> thing that he and Nanase can agree on.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Makoto, I’m telling you this because I trust you. And because I desperately need help from someone who <i>isn’t</i> Haru.” Rin is looking into Makoto’s grassy-colored eyes with the most intense stare, which indicates to Makoto that he <i>isn’t kidding about this</i>.</p>
<p>“I-I’ll try my best to help you,” Makoto replies nervously, scared of what Rin is about to say. Millions of possibilities run through his head, and he tries to rehearse a reaction to each of them so he’s not caught off guard</p>
<p>“Well, I think I have feelings for Sousuke.” Rin looks at Makoto for a reaction, and to his horror, Makoto starts giggling. “Hey! I trusted you!” Rin cries, betrayed.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Makoto laughs, “I just thought you were already dating.” Oh. That’s not why Rin thought he was laughing.</p>
<p>“W-why would you think that?!” Rin can feel his face going hot.</p>
<p>“You guys are just really close.” Makoto points to a grey t-shirt hanging on the couch. “And besides, that’s the shirt he was wearing yesterday, so I assume he spent the night here.”</p>
<p>Flustered, Rin stutters out a reply. “I-it’s not like that! We’re just good friends. We’ve known each other since we were born.”</p>
<p>“Whatever you say, Rin.”</p>
<p>“Seriously! I don’t even think he likes me in that way.”</p>
<p>“Do you want me to talk to him about it?”</p>
<p>“…Can you?”<i>Thank god I finally know someone who’s emotionally literate</i>.</p>
<p>“Of course. I spend eight or nine hours with him every day, I’m sure I could talk to him about it at some point.” Makoto’s warm smile comforts Rin slightly. </p>
<p>But it’s never really easy when you catch feelings for your best friend.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>- -</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You want me to what?” Makoto checks the volume on his phone speaker to make sure he heard what Kisumi said correctly. The overly enthusiastic boy called Makoto as soon as he was home from his visit to Rin’s house.</p>
<p>“I just need you and Sou for the week to help out at the camp. We have a dance coming up so we’re extra busy and we’ll need more people to help out with planning. I talked to Sei and he said it was okay because he can handle the beach with the little witch girl and the new recruit.”</p>
<p>“New recruit?” Makoto is puzzled. He’s supposed to be the new recruit — who else was there?</p>
<p>“Oh yeah, Natsuya’s brother is working with you guys at the beach now. Don’t worry, though~ you haven’t been replaced! Natsuya just wants him to do something other than sit at home all day and complain that it’s too hot.”</p>
<p><i>At least there will be someone who’s less qualified than I am,</i> Makoto thinks.“Have you talked to Sousuke about this?”</p>
<p>“No,” Kisumi says a little guiltily, “but I was thinking that if you and Sei said yes he would have to go by moral obligation.” Kisumi says goodbye and hangs up, promising to text the details (why does Makoto have a feeling he’ll forget to do that?) In the meantime, Makoto texts Sousuke to explain the arrangements for the week.</p>
<p><b>&gt;mako:</b> kisumi said we’re working at the camp this week.</p>
<p>Almost immediately after he sends the text, his phone starts ringing. When Makoto presses the answer button, he’s greeted by an incredibly pissed off Sousuke.</p>
<p>“Are you fucking kidding?” Makoto doesn’t know whether to laugh at his reaction or remain silent. </p>
<p>“Sei already told him that we would go, so we can’t really say no.”</p>
<p>“I know but…” Sousuke lets out a frustrated groan and Makoto feels his phone vibrate against his hand with the sound. “This is gonna be the longest week of my life.”</p>
<p>Working at Camp Iwatobi can’t be <i>that</i> bad, can it?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>- -</p>
<p> </p>
<p>At 7 AM on Monday, Sousuke and Makoto are standing at the entrance of Camp Iwatobi with duffel bags filled with clothes and supplies for the week. Much to Sousuke’s dismay, Kisumi asked for them to be there an hour before breakfast so he could get them settled in while the kids were still in bed. </p>
<p>“Good morning! How are we feeling today?” Kisumi flashes a grin that seems way too wide and happy for 7 AM on a Monday morning.</p>
<p>“Like shit,” Sousuke grumbles.</p>
<p>Makoto slaps a hand over the black haired teen’s mouth. “Sorry. He’s not a morning person.” Kisumi just laughs, instructing them to take their bags and follow him to the staff cabin. He shows them to a plain-looking room with two twin sized beds on opposite sides of the room, and two desks furnished with lamps and desk chairs. It reminds Makoto of a college dorm. Makoto and Sousuke each pick a bed, and set their bags down next to the desks. Kisumi points down the hall, explaining that Natsuya and Nao are in the room at the end of it, and that they should yell for them if they need any help. Makoto thinks you shouldn’t be yelling for people indoors (especially not at night, when everyone’s trying to sleep), but he doesn’t interrupt.</p>
<p>Kisumi babbles about the dance and the kinds of activities which he runs at Camp Iwatobi with Nagisa, but Makoto isn’t really listening. When Kisumi throws his arm around the brunette’s shoulders, Makoto snaps back to attention.</p>
<p>“Oh, and counselors attend the dance,” Kisumi has a devilish look in his eyes and Makoto is scared about where this is going. “Bring a date, okay?”</p>
<p>This has just become a race and Kisumi has started the countdown. Makoto and Sousuke have exactly six days to get their shit together.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Relationship woes, Kisumi, and other pains in the ass.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Haru, you idiot! What the fuck are you doing?!”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry this took so long, i have literally no excuse haha. it's here now tho so please enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rin wakes up to the slam of the front door and the jumbling of its lock. Sousuke always closes doors so forcefully, even though Rin has complained <i>so many</i> times that he’ll break all the doors in the house. At first he’s a bit confused, because it’s 6:40 AM and Sousuke’s usually not even awake before the sun rises. As he pulls himself out of bed and drags his feet to the bathroom, he remembers that Sousuke’s supposed to be staying at Camp Iwatobi this week to help Kisumi out. Something about needing extra staff for some events. Rin isn’t really sure, but he’s sure he’ll hear from Gou when he sees her this weekend. </p><p>It’s going to be lonely with no one else in the house. Maybe he should invite Haru over?</p><p>Rin slips out of his clothes and steps into the shower, turning the tap to the coldest setting to wake him up. He scrubs through his damp locks as he runs through what he’s doing today. </p><p>
  <i>Who am I kidding, I’m doing the same thing as I do every day. Work, home, eat, shower, sleep, repeat.</i>
</p><p>He finishes his shower and returns to his room, sighing as he flops down on the bed. Nothing interesting ever happens in his life, he just follows the routine every day. It’s not that Rin doesn’t <i>want</i> change — because he definitely does — he’s just too busy for it. Makoto is probably the most interesting thing that’s happened to him since middle school. Most of Rin’s time now is spent at Mermaid’s Point working or at home taking care of Gou (and, although he hates to admit it, Sousuke as well). It’s almost like having kids of his own. </p><p>Rin arrives at Mermaid’s Point on his bike at 8 AM sharp, an hour before they’re supposed to open. He doesn’t have to be here this early, but he couldn’t fall asleep again when Sousuke left, and having breakfast alone didn’t sound very appealing. Haru is normally at Mermaid’s Point early, so Rin figures he should spend some time catching up with his other best friend. After all, he never got to spend much time with Haru when Sousuke was around.</p><p>When Rin enters the diner, the first thing he registers is a sweet smell filling his lungs. He closes his eyes and inhales as he walks towards the kitchen slowly, trying to identify what Goro is cooking this morning. When he enters the kitchen, he realizes that it’s Haru who’s cooking — not Goro. And the sweet smell has become a strange, burnt smell that Rin scrunches his face at. </p><p>“Haru, you idiot! What the fuck are you doing?!” Rin cries, running over to pry a pan filled with what <i>looks</i> like some strange pancake hybrid out of Haru’s hands.</p><p>“I thought it would be cool if you could cook the maple syrup on the inside of the pancake. Kind of like a jelly donut but it’s a pancake and it’s filled with syrup.”</p><p>Rin looks at him in disbelief as he groans loudly. “Do you know how hard it is to remove burnt syrup from pans?” </p><p>Haru doesn’t reply — he knows better than to further aggravate Rin. Rin scrapes contents of the pan onto a plate already filled with several pancakes, and throws it in the sink. “You’re cleaning that later,” he growls, grabbing plates and forks from a shelf and taking the stack of pancakes outside to the bar. <i>At least I get a pancake out of this stupid mess</i>. He dumps the plates on the bar, and slips behind it to retrieve two mugs. He brews coffee in the coffee pot to fill one, and fills the other with water, handing it to Haru. </p><p>“Thanks,” Haru mutters. As the coffee brews, Rin takes a plate and stabs a pancake with his fork, pulling it towards him.</p><p>“Wait, Rin, that one’s mine-”</p><p>“It’s mine now!” Rin sang, taking a huge bite. </p><p>He immediately regrets it.</p><p>“Haru, what the <i>fuck</i> is in this?” Rin spits it straight back out. He examines the pancake, only to realize the inside is filled with pieces of mackerel.</p><p>“I told you not to eat it,” Haruka shrugs.</p><p>“Well you’re just full of fucking surprises, aren’t you?” Rin deadpans, washing away the lingering taste of Haru’s mackerel atrocity with a mouthful of coffee as he shoots a glare at Haru. “Where the fuck did you even get that idea from?” </p><p>Haruka shrugs again. </p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Sousuke Yamazaki has never liked children. They’re messy and loud, and they seem to have hands that are permanently sticky no matter how many times they’re washed. </p><p>Granted, these aren’t exactly children he’s dealing with, but that doesn’t make it any better. Teenagers are an obnoxious kind of loud, as opposed to the overenthusiastic kind of loud that younger children are. </p><p>Granted, he is a teenager himself, but that doesn’t mean he appreciates younger teenagers. </p><p>“Sou nii-chan!” A small girl runs up to him and throws her arms around his waist, pulling him in for a tight hug. Sousuke looks down and ruffles her hair, which is a slightly warmer shade of pink than Rin’s. It’s the one teenager Sousuke admittedly has a soft spot for.</p><p>“Hey Gou, how are you doing?”</p><p>“I told you to call me Kou!” She huffs, pulling away from him in offense. Sousuke laughs softly as Gou speeds up her walking pace to catch up with her friends, who are laughing and singing as they walk behind Aki, who leads the way. The group is walking along one of the many trails that twists through the lush mountains of Iwatobi, most of which are flat enough to entertain a bunch of teens with minimal complaining. Makoto and Sousuke don’t know the trails as well as Aki does, so she assigned them the job of walking at the back of the group and making sure no one wanders off. They walk in silence, Sousuke scowling at the ground as he kicks rocks with his boots. </p><p>“This is boring.” Sousuke grumbles, “I can’t wait to get back to the beach.”</p><p>“Well, it’s not that bad. It’s a nice day and Aki said the view at the end of the trail would be really pretty.” Makoto offers, trying to lighten the mood.</p><p>“It’s not all that great. I went on this hike like, a thousand times when I was a kid and the view is mediocre at best. I can’t believe Kisumi convinced Sei to make us do this.” Before Makoto can respond, he notices that three of the teens have stopped walking, and are instead crouching down next to a plant at the side of the trail.</p><p>“I’m telling you, it was just a regular bark beetle! Just let it go.”</p><p>“No, I swear it was a stag beetle! I’ll find it and prove it to you!” The boy who looks like Seijuro is arguing with Gou, who rolls her eyes as he shuffles through the leaves of the plant. </p><p>“Momo, it was just a normal beetle!”</p><p>“No it wasn’t!”</p><p>“Stop fighting, it’s just a beetle!” Sousuke interjects, standing above them with his hands on his hips. </p><p>“It’s not <i>just</i> a beetle, it’s a stag beetle and I need to find it!” Momo stands up and walks off the path and through the shrubs and plants, scanning the area for the little creature. </p><p>“Momo, come back. You shouldn’t walk off the path, it’s dangerous,” Makoto warns. Momo ignores this and continues to look for the beetle.</p><p>“It’s just a stupid beetle! Let’s just keep walking, you can find another one,” Sousuke is growing increasingly frustrated with this kid and his fucking <i>beetle</i>.</p><p>“Momo,” Gou starts, but is cut off by Momo’s yell as he trips and falls into the bushes. Sousuke curses as he runs toward the boy, watching his own step for rocks and stray branches. But before Sousuke can reach the redheaded boy, Gou gasps as he screams loudly and trips backward over a rock, landing in the surrounding mud. </p><p>“God dammit,” Sousuke curses under his breath. </p><p>He’s never liked children.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>“And then Sou-nii had to carry Momo all the way back down the mountain! We were just getting to the good part of the hike too, and he totally missed the view of the lake!” Gou sits at the small wooden table at the side of their kitchen, wolfing down a bowl of spaghetti as Rin stands at the sink washing the dishes. He drops a plate, howling with laughter at the thought of Sousuke, of all people, having to carry a teen. </p><p>“I take it you had fun today.”</p><p>“Yeah!” Gou nods energetically, despite the activity-packed day she spent under the sun. Rin continues washing the dishes and lets Gou return to her food, but he’s stopped quickly by a small voice.</p><p>“Um, Nii-chan, I was wondering…” she mumbles the rest of the sentence as she stares down into her food.</p><p>“I didn’t catch that, could you say it again?” Rin dries his hands and turns to the table, pulling out a chair to sit next to Gou.</p><p>“I… I wanted to try staying at the camp. Like, overnight.” Before she can take her request back, Rin pulls her into a big hug.</p><p>“If you’re sure you’re ready, I have no problems with that. They’ll take really good care of you and it’ll be really fun for you to stay with your friends. I know I couldn’t wait to get away and stay at the camp when I was younger,” Rin pauses, before adding, “but if you’re not comfortable with that we could just try one night first.”</p><p>“No!” Gou objects quickly, “I mean, I think I’m fine to stay the whole time. It’s not like I won’t see you on the weekends and stuff, and you can always visit me. And now that Sou-nii is working there, he can bring me stuff from home if I need it.” Rin bites back his tears, sniffing softly as he hugs his sister harder and runs his fingers through her hair. </p><p>“Are you crying?” Gou asks, with a hint of humor.</p><p>“Of course not! It’s just my little girl is growing up so fast,” Rin mumbles, his voice watery.</p><p>“I’m fifteen!” </p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>“I want to leave. We should just pack up and go. Tell Aki we can’t do this, ask Sei to send Nii instead, I don’t know, whatever will get us out of here. Natsuya has a brother who needs a job.” Sousuke throws himself onto his bed heavily, landing on his stomach and burying his face into his pillow as he groans loudly.</p><p>“I’m sure it’ll be better when we’re used to it,” Makoto sighs, hanging his towel over a chair as he pulls his pajama shirt over his head. </p><p>“We’ll never be used to it. We might as well just give up right now,” Sousuke grumbles. Makoto doesn’t respond. Sousuke flicks the switch on the lamp placed between the two beds, turning it off and engulfing them in darkness.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not centered!”</p><p>“It is! It looks fine!” Sousuke barks at the annoying man standing across the room, who’s holding his hands up with one eye closed.</p><p>“No, it needs to go to the left a bit.” Kisumi directs, brushing a strand of pink hair away from his face. It’s Friday afternoon and the dance is in a little over twenty-four hours. Kisumi, being an adamant perfectionist, is in a panic about every single detail of the event.</p><p>“It doesn’t! It’s fine like this. Let’s just move on.”</p><p>“It’s not fine, though! It needs to be centered!” Kisumi protests, throwing his hands in the air dramatically.</p><p>“Fourteen-year-olds don’t give a flying fuck about whether a stupid banner is centered or not!” Sousuke climbs down the ladder, mumbling to himself about Kisumi and his stupid perfectionist tendencies.</p><p>“Suit yourself. If anyone complains, I’m blaming it on you.” Sousuke doesn’t answer. Instead, he steps back to assess his work. The banner was made by Kisumi and Nagisa, a deep blue with golden flecks littered across it to mimic stars. Kisumi’s impeccably fancy handwriting decorates the center, where <i>A Night Under the Stars</i> is written in gold paint.</p><p>“I don’t see how it can be <i>A Night Under the Stars</i> if all you can see when you look up is wood planks and ceiling lamps,” Sousuke rolls his eyes.</p><p>“Nagisa’s getting glow in the dark stars to stick up there,” Kisumi says.</p><p>“What are you, five?”</p><p>“I’m eighteen. And we’re going to open all these side doors so we can extend the area of the dance to the deck as well. So you can actually go outside and see the stars.” Kisumi points to the deck, which is covered in newspaper to keep paint off the wooden flooring. As Sousuke peers outside, he spots a mop of blond curls bouncing towards the dining hall.</p><p>“Sou-chan! Kisu-chan!” Nagisa holds up a large paper bag, stuffed with what Sousuke can only assume are the glow in the dark stars for the ceiling. He sprints up the stairs and onto the deck, but as his pink sneakers land on the newspaper, it slides out from beneath him and he lands on his back. The paper bag lands several feet away, showering stars all over the newspaper on impact.</p><p>“Nagisa!” Kisumi cries, rushing towards him. The blond sits up and rubs his back, his expression scrunching into a frown. </p><p>“Owww…” Nagisa whines.</p><p>Sousuke doesn’t really know what he expected. Someone as clumsy as Nagisa was bound to slip on Kisumi’s carelessly placed newspaper. He goes outside to help the two boys gather the scattered decorations. When the last star is placed back in the paper bag, Kisumi looks at Sousuke thoughtfully.</p><p>“You know, we could reeeeally use someone who’s tall enough to stick the stars on the ceiling. I can’t even reach when I’m standing on a table, and Nagisa’s still the height of a high school girl.” Kisumi pauses, reaching out to run his hands along Sousuke’s biceps. “But also, I’m sure that’s not the only thing these muscles can do.” The little bitch winks — he actually <i>winks</i> — and Sousuke stands in disbelief. Before he can think of a snarky retort, the pink haired boy slips away and follows Nagisa out of the dining hall, but not before he can add,</p><p>“Rin’s a lucky guy!”</p><p>“Dammit, Kisumi! For the last time, we’re not together!” Sousuke yells after him.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>When the last of the stars is <i>finally</i> stuck to the ceiling, Sousuke steps back to admire his work. Glow in the dark stars are inevitably tacky, but he thinks he’s done a pretty good job at making them look at least <i>somewhat</i> tasteful. It was mid afternoon when he started, but now the sun has begun to set over the lake and a deep orange light fills the dining hall. He tucks the ladder back into its place in the storage cabinet, and walks out onto the deck to look out at the lake. He and Rin spent every summer of their childhood at Camp Iwatobi, splashing in the lake with Kisumi, Asahi, Nanase, and Nagisa, eating popsicles under the burning sun, and falling asleep to the chirping of cicadas in the cool night. Sousuke has always been scared of letting those days go. He was scared that as he grew older, he wouldn’t be able to do the same things anymore, and instead he’d have to work and spend his time away from the places of his childhood memories. He was scared that he and Rin would drift apart, that they would get jobs or move away from Iwatobi for university. </p><p>But most of all, he was scared he would never have the courage to tell Rin how he felt before they left Iwatobi.</p><p>Rin has always dreamed of leaving, moving to Tokyo to attend university. Sousuke knows he’s smart enough to do it, and Rin has been saving up money for him and Gou to move. It’s only a matter of time before he goes, and Sousuke will be left in Iwatobi on his own. He’ll still have his parents and other friends, but it won’t be the same without Rin. The two have been practically joined at the hip since they were born.</p><p>Sousuke has stood out on the deck long enough for the air to grow cool, the sun completely gone now. He hears laughter coming from the picnic tables in the clearing next to the dining hall, where the kids are beginning to gather for dinner. Aki hurries after a rowdy group, shouting for them to sit down. Sousuke climbs down the steps lifting the dining hall’s deck off the ground, and walks over to the counselors table where Natsuya is waving and Nagisa greets him with a huge grin. </p><p>
  <i>I wonder what Rin’s doing right now.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Rin has never liked eating dinner alone. It’s so strange and quiet. He even misses washing Sousuke and Gou’s dishes (which he’ll never actually admit to them). At least he didn’t have to cook for three people. He picks at the leftovers which he crafted into a meal, scrolling through his Instagram feed to make it feel like he has company for his lonely meal. It’s summer, so his feed is filled with his friends in swimsuits under the glaring sun, watermelon slices eaten on the beach, picnics on the banks of Lake Iwatobi. Nothing is really new, he sees the same thing every year when summer rolls in like a heatwave, wiping away the cool breezes of spring. However, one post catches his eye and he has to scroll back up to see it again. Splashed across his screen in full color is an image of Sousuke that stops Rin’s heart for a second. The photo was posted (and probably taken) by Kisumi, and is of Sousuke in a tight fitting t-shirt that shows every curve and dip of his muscular torso. His arms are bare, and Rin drools over how the thin layer of sweat covering them makes them look just <i>that</i> much more delicious.</p><p>Wait. Is that his best friend?</p><p>Rin mentally smacks himself — he can’t be thinking about his <i>best friend</i> in that way. The last time he checked, Sousuke was as straight as Mike Pence. Well, not that he’s ever asked Sousuke about his sexuality but he’s never shown interest in any guy, and he’s only ever dated girls. So it’s pretty safe to assume that Sousuke is straight. </p><p>Well, there’s still a <i>small</i> chance Sousuke’s into men. Rin considers that for a moment, and decides it’s not worth risking their friendship. It’s the same thought process he always goes through, and it always ends the same way. </p><p>Rin can’t quite remember when he realized he was in love with his best friend, but once he did it occupied most of his thinking. He reaches up subconsciously to fiddle with the small ring in his ear, a reminder of the bond he and Sousuke share. He can never tell Sousuke how he feels. He’s so scared to ruin their relationship. But even then, the feelings won’t leave and it frustrates him to no end. He wants to know what it feels like to hold Sousuke as more than a friend. How Sousuke’s lips will feel against his own. How Sousuke’s hands will feel running down his chest towards his —</p><p>
  <i>Dammit, I’ve got it bad.</i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>please leave comments! i love reading through what you guys say and it really encourages me to write more.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you so much for reading! btw i'm looking for someone to beta read because currently i'm posting chapters that haven't been beta'd. please reach out to me if you're interested! i also have the world's shortest attention span so please nobody be surprised if i start writing a new fic when i'm halfway through this one.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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